olympics

Come with us now for an experience that will stress your senses and tickle your gag reflex AND your funny bone. The astounding, the horrifying, the morbidly obese, and infectiously clever — The BastardCast. We are thought stallions rolling across a docile plain, a dust cloud of airborne giggle bits trailing the swipe of our night black tails. You will suck the marrow from the bone of this podcast and it will fill you with justice, purpose, and also marrow. Which is so gross. (more…)

I’m telling ya, true story! See it all here, caught on film by Funny or Die. Sir Patrick Stewart is the Godfather of scalping. Maise Williams is the young street urchin who helps him steal a ticket from Olympic Gold Medalist, Ryan Lochte, which they then turn around and sell to actor, Simon Pegg. For Stewart, it’s the role of a lifetime and I for one hope this isn’t the end of Ticket-Tooth Phillip.

As London’s Olympic opening ceremonies unfolded there was one moment Whovians were praying they’d see: David Tennant lighting the Olympic flame. Sadly, things didn’t go down that way, and I don’t believe anyone honestly expected they would, but it was missed opportunity that’s for sure. What if that was a fixed point in time, Olympics committee?!!? Do you understand the ramifications!?

Anyway, in a recent interview with G4 where Tennant was plugging his upcoming mini-series, Spies of Warsaw, he gabbed about his Olympics dreams being dashed, the Doctor Who moment cut from the ceremonies, as well if he’s heard anything about Who‘s 50th,

Out of all the past Doctors and companions I’d like to think Tennant is someone we can definitely count on for a return in the 50th anniversary. You can really feel his enthusiasm for the part anytime he talks about it, and I believe he wouldn’t turn down another chance to hop in the TARDIS. I can only hope they decide to include him.

What kind of role do you think Tennant’s 10th Doctor could have in the 50th anniversary?

Welcome to the third edition of Words Good! Read Now!— the ultimate travel show for internet shut-ins. Last week we explored the lost Indiana Jones script and an LCD Soundsystem farewell concert. What mental adventures are we about to go on this time? Fuck if I know I just pull these things out of a hat. So, excited? Man are you easy, but before we get on with this week’s suggestions I must type out the the Word Corps Oath:

In brightest day, in dar… We do this because we love writers and we love words and if 100 of you read this and go read these articles and then maybe some of you recommend those articles… well, then that will be a decent amount of people reading these things. Blah, blah, blah — Words Good! Read Now!

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You absolutely cannot be a smarmy internet motherfucker if you didn’t grow up worshiping Mystery Science Theater and Erik Adams over at AV Club made Jesus Magic when his fingers had coitus with the keyboard while writing this list of 10 essential episodes of MST3K. Read the article here.

American Flagg! creator Howard Chaykin talks with Dutch journalist Marc Oliver-Frisch for ComicGate.de. It’s the interview of the week and yes it is in English, check it out here. Hat tip to Bleeding Cool for getting the word out about the interview.

Lauren Davis from IO9 takes a look at the dilapidated facilities left over from the Athens Olympics. Sad to say, but the use of public moneys on sport’s palaces for both professional teams and events like the Olympics often wind up being a bad deal for tax payers. Couple that with the state of the Greek economy and this is just sad. It really doesn’t have much to do with nerdism but fuck it — the Olympics are everywhere. Read the article here.

Andrew Richdale at GQ says goodbye to Chick-fil-A in another article that isn’t really nerdy (in case you couldn’t tell, I’m making up the rules to this as I go along) but it is damn clever and a little sad. Check it out here.

Dan Seitz from GammaSquad takes us on a tour of The Dark Knight Rises supposed plot holes here.

To close it out, lets just all go to Robert T. Gonzalez’ article IO9 and watch a video featuring Mark Twain. Who shot the only moving image of the masterful writer? Some guy named Thomas Edison. Astonishing. Check it out here.

In the Great Hall of the Justice League there are assembled the world’s 2 greatest heroes created from the cosmic legends of the universe — Captain Hudson and Jason Man — there mission: to fight injustice, to fight that which is wrong, and to serve all mankind… with a podcast.

This week on the Bastardcast, Jeremy and Jason suggest some nerdy Olympic counter programming, talk about why chicken restaurants don’t want to serve gay muppets, and then tackle the DIRTY NERDY CONFESSIONS with a special, mystery guest. They also read some tasteful selections from 50 Shades of Grey(Skull)* and then in the first of a special, hard hitting expose, Jason and Jeremy Discuss Whether Old Crap or New Crap is Better If They Don’t Have Anything Else to Talk About: Action Figure Edition. Come for the laughs, stay for the subtle French bigotry.

*Apparently Jimmy Fallon did a similar 50 Shades of Greyskull bit last night. We were unaware of this when we recorded ours because we watch Craig Ferguson when we don’t feel like watching Adult Swim. Also, ours is better. Sorry, it’s the truth.

Wether it’s captaining the Enterprise, training X-Men, or getting tapped on the shoulder with a sword by the Queen, Patrick Stewart always seems to come out on top. You can now add Olympic torch carrier to his long list of personal accomplishments.

Stewart is one of many fine people honored to participate in the London Olympic torch relay, which has been steadily moving through England. After passing the flame to the next runner Stewart stopped to talk about the experience.

“I didn’t realize how much it meant until it started, I didn’t realize until we gathered here at the school this morning and then went out in the bus and saw the thousands of people on the streets. The sense of exhilaration that that brought. And the evident pleasure in everyone who was witnessing it and feeling that they were sharing in something extraordinary, which they are.”

Stewart joins a list of sci-fi actors including Doctor Who’s Matt Smith and James McAvoy (Professor Xavier,X-Men First Class), who’ve each run a leg of the Olympic torch’s path to the stadium in London. The final runner of the Olympic torch has not been announced publicly. Check the news Friday to find out who will carry the torch the final leg of the journey. My money is on Prince William or Henry.

Watch Stewart make his run in the video below and also check out what Matt Smith had to say when he stared off the torch’s journey:

Before everyone starts screaming at me, “WRONG DOCTOR!!” I know. I’m familiar with the Doctor Who episode, “Fear Her,” from 2006, as I’m sure many of you are as well. In that episode the Doctor, David Tennant, jumped in at the last minute to carry the Olympic Torch and help some aliens leave Earth. Or something. Didn’t that episode have people being terrorized by creepy, evil drawings? Yeah, it’s not one of their best. But since then fans have been yearning for the Doctor to really carry the Olympic Torch when the games come to London this year. Some have even suggested it’s now a fixed point in time and must occur. And now it is.

Quidditch, the international renowned sport of wizards in the Harry Potter series of books and movies, has been taking the real-life world by storm for many years.

It’s been played for fun with improvised rules and constantly changing rules all for the sake of fun. Hell, back in the early 2000’s as a counselor at a summer camp, I even played a game. I was a beater, and ran around hitting people with a Nerf bat. It was actually rather fun! But it wasn’t done in any organized way, just a way to keep the kids entertained during the long and hot summer days.

However, it seems to have gone to a whole other level.

According to Badass Digest, there are organized teams and thousands of people participating. It seems a little hard to believe, but I suppose different strokes for different folks, right?

There’s an International Quidditch Association (their website) and there seem to be dozens upon dozens of teams at colleges and high schools. And they have a rule book, one which clocks in at 49 pages of dos, don’ts and tips.

The real life game is quite similar to the fictional one. There are chasers and beaters and a keeper, all of whom play the more mundane parts of Quidditch – getting a ball through a hoop (hula hoops on sticks in the case of real life Quidditch). But then there are the more fantastical elements – the snitch, a tiny golden magic ball that is the secret to winning the game, and the seeker, whose job is to just find and catch the snitch. In real life Quidditch one player is decked out in yellow clothes and runs around the field with a ball in a yellow sock tied around his neck – he’s the snitch.

Some of the players seem to take the whole thing tongue in cheek – they are running around on broomsticks and wearing capes, after all – while others take it kind of seriously. There are those who want it to be a recognized college sport. This year was the fourth Quidditch World Cup, held in New York. And there’s talk of a Quidditch exhibition game at the 2012 Olympics.

Finally an Olympic game for people with no athletic skill whatsoever! Nintendo is set to host a tour of Wii Olympics at Six Flag theme parks and Malls around the country. It will kick off July 16 at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Our assumption is that no one in Jersey has high standards, so it’s the perfect place to start and work out any kinks. (Suck it Jersey!). This all ages event will feature 5 games for the competition; Wii Sports Resort Bowling and Basketball, the Wii Fit Hula Hoop challenge, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Mario Kart Wii. Qualifying winners will be flown to Los Angeles to duke it out with one another for a chance to win game systems, entertainment centers, a cruise, trophies,and the admiration of other fat kids. Have you got what it takes? If you think you might check out the official website for more details.

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A news and entertainment blog for nerd pop culture. We are vulgar, debaucherous, and funny bastards that pilfer the internet (or interwebz, if you like) for the news you need so that you don't have to. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll often shake your fist in an angry fury but your time here is worth the price of admission (which is free for those of you not paying attention)